The present invention relates to an emergency stop device for a rotary platform in a milking parlour, wherein the milking parlour comprises at least one component arranged beside an edge portion of the platform and wherein the emergency stop device comprises detecting means adapted to initiate an emergency stop of the rotary platform in case an object is detected in a detecting area.
In a conventional parallel rotary parlour, the cows walk onto an annular rotating platform and enter a milking stall. An operator or a milking robot located on the outside or on the inside of the annular platform, attaches teat cups to the teats of the cows. The platform may rotate continuously with a constant low speed. The milking process for a cow has finished when the cow has rotated nearly 360 degrees on the platform. The continuous flow of cows make rotary parlours have a high milking capacity.
There is a risk that operators working in the vicinity of a rotary platform get stuck in the platform or in an apparatus or the like arranged on the platform. In this case, the operator may be dragged by the rotary platform. There is here a risk that the operator is squeezed between the rotary platform and a component arranged beside the platform. Such a component may be for example a milking robot, a teat cup storing device, a teat cup cleaning device or a stationary post or the like.